Americans
generally do not drink as much tea as the rest of the world.This may have something to do with a certain
party they had in Boston
a while back. That being the case, you
might be surprised to learn that tea is second only to water in worldwide
beverage consumption. In fact, some
estimates place tea consumption in the billions of cups daily. That’s a lot of tea. However, with recent health benefits being ascribed
to tea, its popularity in this country is definitely on the rise. In this article, we will explore the world of
tea vis-à-vis kashrus and halacha. First, a little background is in order.

BACKGROUND

Tea is a
processed leaf. It is grown on a tea tree
which, if allowed to grow wild, would reach 30 or more feet in height. On tea plantations, the main trunk of the
seedlings is cut to produce a plant that grows more like a bush than a tree, to
enable an easier harvest.

Tea is grown
in temperate to tropical areas around the world, the majority coming from
India, China, Sri Lanka and, of course, Japan. The early Chinese are credited with the
discovery of pouring hot water over these leaves to make tea. Legend has it that the emperor, Shen Nung, would drink water only after it was boiled. He was sitting under a tea tree one day, while
his servant was boiling up some water. Some
leaves from the tree fell into the kettle and, as they say, the rest is
history. The name ‘tea’ comes from the
Chinese words Tchai, Cha, and Tay
that are used to describe the drink as well as the plant. The botanical name for tea reflects its
origins, Camellia Sinensis, roughly translated
as Chinese camellia; Camellia is the plant family to which tea belongs.

PROCESSING

Tea production
begins on the plantation, where leaves are still harvested by hand in the
traditional way. There are some areas of
the world where the harvesting is mechanized.However, because most teas are grown in difficult high altitude terrain,
in addition to various other reasons, machines are not practical for most
plantations.

Tea bushes are
carefully pruned for three years. This
produces a nice growth of “flush”. “Flush”
is the term used to describe the tender new leaves
that are used to make tea. The plant continues
to be pruned throughout its lifetime to ensure a steady growth of usable flush.
Depending upon the climate, tea is harvested
two or three times a year – and sometimes year-round.

Once the
leaves arrive at the factory, most will go through a four stage process. The first stage is known as withering. The leaves are spread out to wither or dry,
in order to remove as much moisture as possible from the leaves to make them
more pliable. In most factories, this is
accomplished by spreading the leaves out in the sun or in large trays made of netting
or fine wire mesh, called withering racks. They are dried either in an open air shed by
natural breezes or by forced cool air. This
stage can take eighteen to twenty-four hours.

From the
withering racks, the now softened green leaves move into the rolling
machines. These machines break and
twist the leaves, breaking up their cell walls, allowing the juices to be
exposed to the air, and cutting the leaves into marketable sizes. This is the beginning of the oxidation (or
fermenting) of the tea, and the first important chemical change to occur. This step leads to the development of the
essential oils that give the tea its flavor.

This chemical
change continues and matures in the oxidation room. The tea leaves are spread out on a flat
surface, usually on a tile or cement floor, in a cool damp room. As a result of increased oxidation, after two to
three hours, the leaves will turn the color of a bright new penny.

In the fourth
and final stage, the tea progresses to the driers. Here
it is dried by hot air to arrest the oxidation process and seal in the
tea flavor. Almost all the remaining
moisture is removed during the drying, which also serves to preserve the tea and
keep it from getting moldy.At this
point, the tea has assumed its characteristic black-brown color.

The above
steps are typical for the production of black tea. This is the type of tea that most Americans
drink. Green tea is made from the
same leaves used in black tea; however, green tea skips the withering step and
is instead immediately steamed. This
keeps the leaves from oxidizing so they remain green. Oolong tea represents a compromise
between black and green. In oolong, the
leaves are allowed to oxidize only partially, turning a brownish-green color. Another type of popular tea is white tea,
which is oxidized even less than green tea.

After drying,
the tea must be graded. Tea grades are
based on size, not quality. The leaves pass
through sifters of various sizes to determine the grade. If the leaf is too large to fit through any of
the sifters, it is sent back for additional rolling. It is interesting to note that the designation
“Orange Pekoe” (pronounced peck-oh) seen on many packages of tea, is actually
nothing more than the basic grade for black tea. Pekoe is a Chinese term used to describe the
tea buds. One explanation for the
“orange” in the name is that it refers to the House of Orange from the Netherlands, a
major player in the tea trade in the old days.

After
grading and sorting, the tea is packed in crates and shipped worldwide to
wholesalers and distributors. High end
tea will be sold loose or by the box. The
mid and lower end tea is made into tea bags or instant tea.

Tea VariEtiEs

Scented
Teas:Genuine scented teas, such as
Jasmine or Rose Congou, are made by forcing hot air over jasmine or rose blossoms
that have been layered on top of the finished tea. This imparts the scent of the flowers to the
tea, which also influences the taste. The
dried out petals are then mixed in with the tea for visual effect. This scenting process does not present us with
any kashrus problems.Other teas
of this type are Magnolia and Orchid.

One of the
most famous scented teas is Earl Grey. The
second Earl Grey of England picked up the original formula for this tea while
on a diplomatic mission to China, back in the early 19th century. True Earl Grey employs bergamot oil sprayed
onto the finished tea to achieve its unique flavor.Bergamot is a pear-shaped citrus fruit grown
in southern Europe. Bergamot oil is a member of that group of
fruit oils known as essential oils, which are derived from the fruits through
pressing and distillation.Based on broad experience and knowledge of
industry practices, oils of this type are considered kosher even when not
certified as such. Other oils in this
category, used widely in the food industry, include orange, lemon, and lime
oil. Earl Grey tea that lists bergamot
oil as an ingredient, with no additional flavors, would be acceptable even
without a kosher certification.

Flavored
Teas:Flavored teas, both regular and herbal, are processed in the same
way.After placing the leaves in a
rotating drum, the liquid flavor is sprayed directly onto the product. The procedure is done at room temperature, so
there are usually no equipment problems from the perspective of kashrus.
The one equipment issue that does occasionally
arise is that the company may be using non-kosher flavors for non-certified
teas on the same equipment. As long as
the flavors are not compatible with the kosher flavors being used, this is not
a problem. This is because the company
has no interest in having divergent flavors mixed with each other, and they are
careful to clean in between runs. As previously
mentioned, because the process is cold, a cleanout is sufficient to prepare the
flavor drum for kosher production. The
major question we are faced with is the kashrus of the flavorings.

Food flavor
chemicals represent one of the most challenging areas in kashrus. Since ingredients for flavors are derived from
a myriad of sources, any product containing either natural or artificial flavorings
requires certification. Flavored teas
are no exception. STAR-K certification
requires its mashgichim to make frequent
unannounced visits to check on the kashrus of all flavored teas.

Dairy Tea:One important issue to keep in mind when
purchasing flavored teas is to make sure to check if the product is certified Pareve or Dairy. There are several flavored teas on the market
now that are reliably certified, but they are dairy. Since many people typically think of tea as a pareve
beverage, they have become accustomed to drinking it with dairy or meat. Obviously, a dairy tea mistakenly consumed as
a pareve tea can present several problems: the kosher status of one’s dishes, drinking it
with or after a meat meal, and issues pertaining to cholovYisroel.

Tea Bags:Traditionally, tea was brewed loose. In the
early twentieth century, Mr. Thomas Sullivan of New York began selling coffee and tea in
small silk bags that customers would place directly into boiling water.Eventually, paper replaced the silk. Today, after the tea is flavored in the
factory (or in the case of non-flavored tea, after removal from the packing
crates) it is placed in tea bags or smaller boxes for retail sale. There are no kashrus concerns regarding
unflavored tea bags.

Herbal and Medicinal Teas:Popular herbal teas include Chamomile and Mint
teas. Echinacea tea is a well known
medicinal. Generally made from dried
herbs, leaves, and roots, they are intrinsically kosher and do not need to be
certified.Herbs are typically dried on
dedicated equipment in dedicated processing facilities, by having warm air
blown over them.

The above is
true for herbals and medicinals that are simply dried herbs. However, if additional ingredients such as
flavors have been added, they would need to be reliably certified. One of the most popular brands of teas, “Celestial
Seasonings,” has many herbals and regular teas that have been certified by STAR-K
since the mid-1980s.

Iced Tea:Most historians credit American tea plantation owner Richard Blechynden for inventing iced tea at the 1904 World’s Fair
in St. Louis. Trying to get fair goers
to sample his hot tea on one of the hottest days of the year was no easy feat
for Mr. Blechynden. Consequently, the enterprising businessman
dumped a load of ice in the tea and became the father of one of the biggest
innovations in tea.

It is
estimated by the tea industry that 85% of the tea consumed in the U.S. is iced
tea. Available today in ready-to-drink
varieties, the standard procedure for iced tea production is very similar to that
of other soft drinks.

The basic
ingredient is concentrated syrup, developed by the soft drink company or specialty
manufacturers.It is composed mainly of
the flavor and color used in the drink.1 This item must be kosher certified. The concentrate is sent to the bottler, where
the other ingredients including water, sweeteners, and preservatives are added,
and the drink is made. Based on
knowledge of the soft drink industry, we can say that the processing and additional
ingredients employed at the bottlers do not present any kashrus issues. Therefore, if it is known that the concentrate
is kosher certified by a reputable kashrus source, the finished product
is also treated as kosher. This is true,
even if the product does not bear a kosher symbol on the label.

This also
applies to most soft drinks. Iced tea,
however, and some fruit juice drinks display a few wrinkles in their production
that change the rules. The issue
revolves around the producer’s desire to sometimes market a more premium
product – in this case, one which is preservative-free – that can be sold for a
higher price. Many people will pay more
for a product that is not made with chemical preservatives, such as those found
in iced tea, e.g. citric acid, potassium benzoate, phosphoric acid, and sodium
citrate.

The most
prevalent method employed in avoiding the use of preservatives is to pasteurize
the product, as is done with milk. This
kills the bacteria that the preservatives would normally control. This is a hot process and is a kashrus issue if the plant produces both
certified and non-certified products. Therefore,
when purchasing iced tea without preservatives, one should make sure that it
has a reliable certification symbol on the label.

Instant Tea:A relative newcomer to the tea world, instant
tea has been around only since 1953. Although the idea behind instant tea is a
simple one, the technology employed to produce it is complex. The basic process begins by boiling strong tea
that is put through various stages of evaporation, which continually
concentrates the tea flavor. The tea
essence is then extracted and filtered. This
step could be repeated several times before the tea is vacuum-concentrated and
sterilized. Finally, the product is
spray dried.

Since this
process employs high heat at several stages, and it is not uncommon for
equipment of this sort to be used for non-kosher applications, it would
normally be assumed that all instant teas need to be reliably certified. However, this is not the case. This is because the collective experience of
reputable kashrus authorities has shown that the companies that
manufacture these products are dedicated to tea. We have no fear of the equipment being used
for other potentially non-kosher foods. This
holds true only for unflavored teas, however. Instants that have flavors and other added ingredients
require kosher certification.

Pesach

Although one
might think that plain, unflavored tea would not require a special Kosher for
Passover certification, technology and manufacturing practices sometimes change
from week to week.Therefore, we
recommend purchasing only those teas that are kosher certified for Passover. This is certainly the case with flavored teas and
decaffeinated teas, where there are actual known ingredient issues that are
potentially problematic for Pesach.

Another
issue with potential Passover ramifications has recently come to light. While inspecting a large tea manufacturer in
New England, a reliable mashgiach discovered that some batches of green
and white teas were contaminated with gluten. This was especially true of teas
grown and imported from China. Investigations
revealed that the Chinese manufacturers were either adding gluten to the tea
leaves to help arrest the oxidation process during the drying stage of
production, or possibly producing the tea on equipment that was also used for
gluten. In either case, a surprise source of chometz
problems for Pesach had been identified, not to mention a potential health
issue for those who suffer from celiac disease.

Extensive
testing of several nationally known brands of green tea was conducted, and half
the samples tested positive for the presence of gluten. Admittedly, the amounts
detected were quite small and would be botul
according to halacha. Even so, these findings raise a red flag indicating
re-examination of our previous assumptions about the permissibility of certain
innocuous products, such as unflavored tea. STAR-K policy regarding this issue
has been to maintain our previous requirement that all tea bear a Kosher for
Passover certification.

Shabbos

Since many
people enjoy their tea mainly on Shabbos, it would be appropriate to
briefly mention the do’s and don’ts of tea preparation
on Shabbos. One should not use
tea/herbal bags or loose teas on Shabbos. This is because tea is part of that group of
foods known as kaleyhabishul,
or easily cooked foods. These foods are
considered so sensitive to heat that they will cook at temperatures that other
foods will not.

Therefore,
the only way to enjoy tea on Shabbos is to prepare tea essence before Shabbos.
The common practice is to make a very
strong cup of tea prior to Shabbos by using several bags and pouring
boiling water over them. It is
preferable to also remove the bags before Shabbos. This essence can now be added to a cup of hot
water (klisheini)
on Shabbos. The preferred method,
however, according to Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, shlita, Rabbinic Administrator
of the STAR-K, is to place several bags into a pot of water and actually boil
them up on the fire prior to Shabbos.2
This essence, minus the bags, can be stored in
a cup and added to hot water.3

Alternatively,
you may want to use instant tea on Shabbos. When using instant tea, or
coffee, the preferred method is to add the tea to the hot water (klisheini), and
not vice versa.

We can say
that, for the most part, tea remains one of life’s simple pleasures that can be
enjoyed comfortably by the kosher consumer. But remember, tea is no different than many
other foods – from a kosher perspective, the simpler the better. Once you venture out into the world of more
complex tea products, proceed with caution… to avoid ending up in hot water!